


This Is A Dance For All The Lovers

by crowsofmurder



Series: sunset curve headcanons, memories, and moments [5]
Category: Julie and The Phantoms (TV 2020)
Genre: 1990s, Developing Relationship, Friends With Benefits, Friends to Lovers, Lack of Communication, M/M, Multi, No beta we die like Sunset Curve, Polyamory, Polyamory Negotiations, Sunset Curve (Julie and The Phantoms), Tags Are Hard, Tags will be added, they fix it though
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-22
Updated: 2021-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-12 14:55:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,207
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29636346
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crowsofmurder/pseuds/crowsofmurder
Summary: The lines between best friends and something more had always been a bit blurred between the boys of Sunset Curve. They would cuddle together and hold hands and it wasn't uncommon to see them wearing each other's clothes, they've all kissed each other at least once and platonic kisses were just as common as saying 'I love you', which meant they occurred just about every time the boys saw each other. From the outside, the relationship of the four boys must've looked odd, but on the inside, it was filled with warmth and love and understanding. Bobby never had a reason to suspect anything more.---or, Bobby's relationship with his boys starts to change and while he is far from upset about it, he is a little confused.
Relationships: Bobby | Trevor Wilson/Alex Mercer, Bobby | Trevor Wilson/Alex Mercer/Luke Patterson/Reggie Peters, Bobby | Trevor Wilson/Luke Patterson, Bobby | Trevor Wilson/Reggie Peters
Series: sunset curve headcanons, memories, and moments [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2143374
Comments: 7
Kudos: 87





	1. There Will Be No Rules Tonight

**Author's Note:**

> Instead of having Bobby feel excluded from the Sunset Curve love, he is front and center of the love and affection, whether or not he realizes it at first.
> 
> Fic and Chapter Titles - Our Time Now by Plain White T's

The lines between best friends and something more had always been a bit blurred between the boys of Sunset Curve. They would lay on each other and hold hands and share clothes, they had all kissed each other multiple times and platonic kisses were just as common as saying ‘i love you’, which meant they occurred just about every time the boys saw each other. From the outside, the relationship of the four boys must've looked odd, but on the inside, it was filled with warmth and love and understanding. Bobby never had a reason to suspect anything more.

Until one of them stepped over that line. 

For almost a week, he had seemed to favor Bobby in every possible way. Luke sought him out specifically for cuddles, always wanting to be touching, and had started to be much more generous with the kisses. At first, Bobby had thought it was because of the fight he had with his mom a couple of days before this new behavior started but if that had been the case, Luke would’ve been overly affectionate with the entire group, not just Bobby. So he did his best to write it off as Luke just being Luke and not question anything, figuring that the other guitarist would explain when he felt like it, but that went out the fucking window almost immediately.

Luke was running late for rehearsal. Something that had been happening a lot more recently, but everyone knew not to bring it up first. It was a typically unspoken rule not to bring up family issues unless one of them was at their breaking point and really needed to talk. It was just easier that way. 

Bobby was working on a new riff while Alex was helping Reggie with his homework - or, that was what they started out doing. Now, homework had been cast aside in favor of cuddling and whispering back and forth. Bobby hadn’t been paying much attention to what was being said, just finding a soothing comfort in their hushed voices. 

When the studio doors opened, all three boys looked up, checking Luke over for any sign that they would need to cancel practice. Bobby hadn’t noticed anything off so he ducked his head back down to his guitar. From the corner of his eye, he could see Luke lean down to press his lips against Alex and Reggie’s cheeks before making his way over to him. Nothing out of the ordinary, so when Luke was close enough, Bobby tilted his head to the side, giving the other more space to kiss his cheek. Only, instead of doing that, Bobby felt a gentle grip on his jaw turning his head just before Luke’s lips were pressed against his. Bobby was too stunned to even pull away and for a moment, he thought he heard Reggie giggling from the other couch.

And as quickly as it happened, it was over.

Luke flopped down beside Bobby, legs kicked up over the armrest of the couch and pressing his back against Bobby’s arm, looking over at the other two. They were talking but Bobby couldn’t make out what was being said over the blood pumping in his ears. Unable to find his voice, Bobby just looked down again, his fingers ghosting over the strings of his guitar but he wasn’t focusing enough to actually play anything. They would start rehearsal about ten minutes later and Bobby would be grateful to have something else to think about besides the kiss. If he was caught glancing over at Luke the entire time by all three other members of the band though, well, that was his own business. 

After practice, the four boys laid around the studio for a couple more hours before Alex stood with a stretch of his arms. He needed to head home and he didn’t mind dropping Luke and Reggie off on his way. Luke waved him off from his spot on the couch. “Don’t worry about me. I’m crashing with Bobbers.” 

Bobby rolled his eyes as he wrapped his arms around Reggie, burying his face in the other’s hair. “I’ll keep the studio unlocked.” He promised. That was nothing new. He always kept the studio unlocked, just in case. 

Alex and Reggie disappeared into the shadows that lead up to the house and the street, their voices fading away. Silence fell over the studio and the kiss came back to Bobby’s thoughts. He spared a glance at Luke, wondering how to bring it up. The odd thing was that this wasn’t the first time they kissed. Kisses had been swapped between all four boys multiple times, the only difference was, thing time it was completely unprompted. No smirk from the other boys followed by a dare or a game of spin the bottle at the boring house party. It just happened.

“Luke,” Bobby spoke, breaking what should have been comfortable silence between the two. “Why did you kiss me?”

The other guitarist pushed himself to sit up, finally looking at Bobby. There was a wide smile on his face and mischief shining in his eyes. “Did you like it?”

Bobby’s eyes narrowed slightly. “You didn’t answer my question.”

“You didn’t answer mine.”

They fell back into silence, eyes locked and neither one of them wanting to be the first to break. Bobby groaned as he shut his eyes. “Yeah, I did- at least I think I did? I’m mostly just confused about the whole thing.” He could hear Luke shift and the quiet sounds of him walking the short distance between the couch and Bobby. He took one of his hands and cupped Bobby’s cheek with his other hand, prompting him to open his eyes. 

The mischievous look was gone, replaced with a serious look. Luke gently rubbed his thumb over Bobby’s bottom lip. “Do you want me to stop?” His hazel eyes locked with Bobby’s brown eyes. How could he ever think of denying Luke anything when he made that face? Bobby’s face softened as he turned his head slightly to press a chaste kiss to Luke’s palm.

“No.”

The hand that was holding his cheek moved up to tangle in his hair, dragging him down into another kiss. Bobby couldn’t believe he had been so worried this whole time. Kissing Luke was absolutely perfect. The pair of boys stumbled back towards the couch, Bobby’s hands holding on tightly to Luke’s shirt to keep him from pulling too far away. They were in the middle of losing themselves to each other when Luke broke away, a question falling from his lips. “What are we telling Reggie and Alex?” Bobby paused, his cheeks burning as he thought about their best friends. What were they going to tell them? He pushed the thoughts aside, shaking his head. “Later. We’ll think about that later. Kiss me again.” Luke was far too happy to argue.


	2. These Are The Times That We'll Remember

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for the support <3!!!! I'm having a lot of fun with this fic and I really hope you all like it.

Later never came. 

Three days had passed since that night and they had yet to talk about what happened that night. It was quickly becoming all Bobby could think about. He was getting desperate to understand what was going on between him and Luke and to figure out what they were going to tell the boys. But every time he found himself alone with Luke, all those thoughts flew out the window. And honestly, their relationship didn’t change that much. They hung out and everything was completely normal, just an added bit of secret kisses whenever Alex and Reggie weren’t looking. A part of Bobby loved the thrill but at the same time, he felt stupid. It wasn’t like he really thought the other two of their friends would really care. There might be questions but that didn’t bother him.

Bobby had never cared much about putting a label on his sexuality. He had figured out early on that he just thought people were cute, regardless of gender or how they presented, and he didn’t have an issue with openly admitting that all three of his friends were extremely attractive. The only real difference between his boys and everyone else he found attractive was that he actually cared for Luke, Reggie, and Alex. Which was probably why Bobby wasn’t surprised by the fact that even though Luke had started taking up the majority of his thoughts, Alex and Reggie were still close behind him, just as they always were. 

Alex and his open expression of emotion that balanced Bobby and his poor emotional understandings. The calm before his storm, the soothing voice of reason whenever Bobby got too wrapped up in his anger. Even after his moments with Luke, Alex was still the one Bobby would seek out to be held when he got his headaches from lack of sleep. 

Reggie and his pure heart that always remind Bobby that there is such a thing as pure kindness in the world. The soft smiles and tender kisses placed over his knuckles that never failed to make Bobby weak at the knees. The day following his night with Luke, Bobby spent most of the day with Reggie draped across his lap as always. 

His boys were everything to him, and that hadn’t seemed to change in the slightest just because there was something forming between him and Luke. But, did that just prove that there was nothing between them besides secret kisses and exploring each other in the dead of night? 

Bobby groaned and rubbed his face. He hadn’t seen Luke since practice the night before, which he had left almost immediately after, saying something about promising his mom that he would be home for dinner to try and fix things up from their latest argument. Bobby hated that there was a part of him that was upset to see Luke go. He knew how much his friend hated fighting with his mom and if there was a chance to make the situation in the Patterson’s home more at ease, then he wanted Luke to jump at it. But fuck was he starting to get tired of the lack of talking. 

“Can I still crash here if you start working on your catwalk?”

Bobby tilted his head back over the arm of the couch, looking at Reggie. He hadn’t even heard the garage door open. There was only a small hint of tiredness in the bassist’s smile and he didn’t seem to be on the edge of breaking apart like he usually did when he would crash at the studio. His smile was contagious as always and easily pulled a small one to Bobby’s face. 

“You can always crash here, you know that. And I promise to stay off the runway while you’re here.”

It was usually Alex that got the runway jokes but Bobby was known to start pacing every now and again. 

Reggie shut the garage door and moved closer, leaning down closer to Bobby to press his lips against his cheek. Bobby sighed and melted against the couch, watching through half-lid eyes as Reggie moved to the side of the couch. Reggie dropped down on top of him without hesitation, shifting his small frame between his legs and his chin on his chest, vibrant green eyes paired with a smile shining up at him. Bobby’s arms snaked around his sides, holding him close. It was nothing new for Reggie to lay on him like this, so why was his heart beating so quickly and why was his face so warm? 

Worry filled Reggie’s eyes the longer he stared up at his friend. “What’s wrong? You’ve been off all week, like there’s something else going on up there.” He lifted one of his hands, stroking Bobby’s cheek for a moment before continuing up to his hair. “You know you can talk to us if you need to. You can talk to me.”

Bobby tilted his head back again to stare up at the ceiling, trying to figure out how much he was allowed to tell Reggie. Luke was never one to hide something from his friends, he so often wore his heart on his sleeve, so surely he would be okay if Bobby told someone, right? One of his hands slid under the edge of Reggie’s shirt, tracing shapes over the soft skin as he thought. It was never said that they had to keep quiet about what had happened…

“Luke kissed me.” 

The corner of Reggie’s lips twitched upwards. “Yeah, I know. We were there when it happened, remember?” 

So they did notice. Bobby was tempted to ask why neither he nor Alex didn’t say anything but that wasn’t the source of his internal conflict at the moment. “I mean after rehearsal. After you and Alex left. I kissed him back. And quite a few more times since then.” He glanced down at Reggie as he moved around again, sitting up with his hands pressed against Bobby’s chest. His bottom lip was pulled back between his teeth. Bobby was expecting questions-.

“What was it like?”

But that wasn’t a question he had been expecting. 

Still, thoughts of Luke had started circling in Bobby’s head again, pulling heat to his cheeks. Luke Patterson was passion in a human form. He loved with every fiber of his being and he never did anything halfway. He poured his entire soul into everything he cared about, his music, his dreams, and his friends. It was always all or nothing when it came to him. And kissing him was just the same. “Passionate.” Bobby sighed, not realizing his hold on Reggie had tightened. “It was like once we start, we can’t stop. I need to kiss him _just one more time_ but it was never enough.” 

Reggie set in silence longer than he meant to, just watching Bobby as he spoke. Watching his brown eyes shine with absolute bliss, something that was so rare to see from the guitarist. In the years they had been friends, Bobby had gotten so much better with allowing him to show his emotions to his friends but Reggie had never seen him look as happy as he did at that moment.

“Reggie?” Bobby pulled back one of his arms and cupped his friend’s cheek, bringing him out of his thoughts. “You good?” 

“Show me.” The bassist’s voice wavered and his face was burning but he didn’t try to take back his words. Reggie continued to stare down at Bobby, silently begging to not be pushed away. 

Since learning how bad Reggie’s home life was, the other three boys had made it a top priority to always listen to the things Reggie had to say and prove to him that when people love you, they don’t push you away. They were still working on undoing all those years of neglect that Reggie knew, but they didn’t mind. Because Reggie was worth it. He was the group favorite and they wouldn’t hesitate to burn the world down if Reggie needed the warmth. So Bobby couldn’t think of a single reason not to do what was asked of him. Even with his certain situation with Luke, Bobby nodded. Pushing himself up to sit with his back against the arm of the couch, he drew Reggie closer, taking a moment to just rub their noses together, smiling when he was able to drag another laugh from the other. 

He tilted his head up to kiss Reggie’s nose before dipping down to capture his lips in a soft kiss. 

In many ways, Reggie was so similar to Luke. They both felt their emotions so strongly and both were so unapologetically optimistic. The difference between the two was that Luke had no sense of patience, always needed to go, go, go, while Reggie didn’t mind a slower pace. Kissing Luke was passion-filled with haste, both impatient to find out what would come of their fun. With Reggie, Bobby was so much more content with the journey. Both were so right in their own ways. Bobby would break the kiss to duck down and pepper kisses over his jaw while Reggie pushed himself up to press gentle pecks over his eyelids. Wrapped up in their own world, the pair found that there were endless possibilities for them to do but there was never a rush to find out. 

Bobby ran his fingers up and down Reggie’s bare back, listening to his steady breathing as he slept. Their shirts had been discarded to the floor and the blanket that usually stayed thrown over the back of the couch had been moved to drape over the pair. Reggie’s head resting in the crook of Bobby’s neck while he held him close. Bobby could feel the vaguely familiar feeling of sleep dancing along the edges of his mind, bringing him some comfort in the idea of getting some sleep that night. At least it would keep Alex from worrying over him the next day. But for the second time, Bobby fell asleep cuddling up against one of his best friends with kiss-swollen lips and a lingering thought of _what are we going to tell the others?_

He may have gotten some sleep that night but come morning, Bobby could still feel exhaustion embedded deep in his bones and a ball of anxiety wound tightly in his chest. The silence of the studio only lasted for a moment before the doors opened. He turned his head slightly to try and see which one of the boys it was.

“Bobby?” Alex called just as Luke walked into his line of sight. Of course it was both.


	3. Take My Heart, I'll Take Your Hand

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: This chapter contains the description of a panic attack. It doesn't go into much detail but please, continue with care.

An hour later found the four boys in the Wilson home. Luke and Reggie talking away at the kitchen table while Alex and Bobby made breakfast. Before, he had wanted nothing more than to have time alone with Luke to actually talk about what was between them, but now with what happened with Reggie, Bobby didn’t think he could handle being alone with either one of them. And Alex always knew when to get one of the boys some space instead of asking questions.

A soft hum of music and their boys’ voices kept the silence, and thus Bobby’s thoughts, from growing unbearable. 

He was busying himself with making the pancakes when a pair of arms wrapped around his waist, pulling him against a solid chest. Bobby melted against the hold. Alex always knew when to ask questions and when to stay quiet, and he always knew when one of them needed a hug. He gave the best hugs anyway. Being held by Alex was something that Bobby was extremely familiar with as he always ended up in the drummer's arms after another inevitable sleepless night. 

“So, Reggie?”

Alex’s lips brushed against the shell of Bobby’s ear as he spoke, sending a shutter down the boy’s body. Suddenly he was overly aware of how close they were and how warm he felt. This was normal, this was nothing new, but that was just what he had thought about Reggie and Luke only for every to change in a matter of seconds. His hands balled into fists as he tried to hide the slight tremble from Alex. “What about Reggie?”

“This morning, in the studio. I know cuddles are pretty normal for all of us and Reggie is clingy when he sleeps, but you two looked a lot closer than you usually would.” One of Alex’s hands moved upwards and he ran his fingers over the side of Bobby’s neck. “Not to mention, he did a number on your neck.” 

It was impossible to hide how much his body was shaking now. Alex was talking so gently, not a hint of judgment in his voice. Teasing and a bit of wonder, but never judgment. But that would probably change if he knew that Reggie wasn’t the only one of his friends that Bobby had experience with. What about Luke? Was he upset with him for telling Reggie? He didn’t seem upset, he was laughing and chatting like normal and he wasn’t pouting. And Reggie hadn’t seemed to be upset when he talked about kissing Luke, he had asked about it, he wanted to know. Fuck, where did he really stand with any of them? 

“Bobby-.”

“I-I need to grab something from my room. Think you can finish breakfast?” Bobby didn’t even wait for Alex to reply as he was slipping out from under his arm and hurrying up the stairs, ignoring the other two as they called after him. Besides the four of them, the house was completely empty. It always was. Opening his bedroom door, Bobby didn’t bother with turning on the light as he stepped over to his desk. It was on the same wall as the door, with just a small amount of space between it and the corner of the room. Just big enough for Bobby to slide into with his knees pulled to his chest and his hands tangled in his hair. 

When he was younger and his mother was still around, there were the days she was so drunk she started picking fights with his father, whenever the man was home. And this had been the exact same place he would go when the yelling got too much for him to handle. He wasn’t as small as he used to be so the desk didn’t hide him completely from view but it still had the same grounding feeling it always had. 

His chest was tight and he couldn’t catch his breath. His face burned and the tightness of his throat was blocking the screams that he desperately wanted to let out. Bobby wasn’t new to his panic attacks, they just weren’t as frequent for him as they were for Alex. 

“Bobby, baby, I need you to breathe with me.”

Alex’s soft voice cut through the fog of his thoughts, wrapping around him and trying to stop him from sinking into the icy abyss of isolation. He was always there to pick Bobby up and hold him for however long he needed him to. One of Bobby’s hands was carefully pulled away from his hair and pressed against something warm and he could feel Alex’s steadily beating heart and the rhythmic rising and falling of his chest. Right, he needed to breathe.

He let out a shaky breath and tried to follow the rhythm the drummer had set. It took a few tries but Alex was patient as he always was. The rock that Bobby clung to when his head was too heavy and tears that he so often tried to push down finally broke free. 

Time passed but Bobby couldn’t’ve been sure how much time had passed. But eventually, he was able to catch his breath. 

“Can I hold you?” 

Bobby nodded his head quickly as he scrambled from his position to throw his arms around Alex, pressing his face into his chest. He could feel a slightly uneven sigh leave the other as he tried to calm himself down. Bobby felt like shit for making Alex worry so much about him but he knew Alex would wave him off if he tried to apologize for that. Time continued to tick away silently as the pair stayed there in each other’s arms, Bobby soaking Alex’s hoodie with his tears. They only pulled away once Bobby’s tears ran dry and he could finally breathe again. 

“I’m-.”

“No.” Alex pressed a kiss to Bobby’s forehead, stroking his hair back out of his eyes. “You don’t need to be sorry for this, baby boy.” A whimper slipped from Bobby, which deepened the blush on his cheeks, but Alex just smiled. “Everything has been complicated between you and the boys lately - don’t think I haven’t noticed - and you three need to talk.” Bobby felt another crack form in his heart when he saw Alex’s smile slip. No. If he was going to talk to his boys, then he was going to have to talk to all of his boys. 

"Alex," Bobby moved to sit up, taking Alex's hands in his own. “I…” Why was talking so difficult? Talking about his feelings had never been something he was good at, even as his friendship with the other boys grew to what it was now. The words were never right and they always died before making it to his lips. He wasn’t like Luke who could string words together to make such passionate songs, he couldn’t bring smiles to a group of people as effortlessly as Reggie, or Alex who never failed to put someone at ease despite his own racing thoughts. Bobby could write essays and papers, he could lose hours to reading other people’s words and passions, but he couldn’t find the right words to explain to his boys how much they meant to him. 

The drummer was watching him with his kind blue eyes, waiting for Bobby to find the words that would never come. 

“Fuck it.” 

Bobby grabbed the front of Alex’s hoodie and pulled him into a kiss. 

Kissing Alex was nothing like kissing Reggie or Luke. There was the sense of falling and not wanting to stop. It wasn’t a long or deep kiss but it left the pair panting and faces burning red. Alex lifted their still linked hands and pressed a soft kiss to the inside of his wrist. Bobby felt his heart skip a beat as the action. Even after such a kiss, Alex was still so soft. 

“Talk to us, Bobby.” How could he say no to Alex when he looked at him with those bright blue eyes and asking so sweetly? 

“Okay.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more chapter! I've had a lot of fun with this fic. 
> 
> Come yell at me @ace-bobby-wilson on tumblr <3


	4. Takin' A Chance For One Another, Finally It's Our Time Now

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it! The last chapter. 
> 
> This fic was so cute and so much fun to write! I really hope everyone enjoyed it.

Alex led Bobby back downstairs hand in hand, and if he was squeezing it a little too tightly, Alex didn’t say anything. 

Luke and Reggie had moved from the kitchen table to snuggle on the couch. Reggie had his face pressed into the singer’s neck as Luke rocked them back and forth gently. Bobby sunk further behind Alex as guilt started to eat away at his confidence. He hadn’t meant to upset Reggie. Whenever something went wrong among the band or its members, Reggie’s first thought was always a mix of blaming himself and desperately trying to find ways to fix it, even if he had nothing to do with the problem. It was just the way Reggie Peters was, a byproduct of being raised by parents who never took the time to stop yelling at each other to show their son the love and attention he deserved. He turned out nothing like Bobby, and the guitarist couldn’t have been more relieved by that. 

Bobby was made up of sharp edges and a constant storm raging just under his skin. He was black clothes and split knuckles and a deep-seated fear of being left alone for too long. Bobby’s parents never made a habit of yelling at each other the way that Reggie’s did, but he had learned quickly that the silence that stretched over the large house could be just as deafening. And it spat out a bruised and battered Bobby who spent his time throwing punches at the people who looked at his friends the wrong way and put all of his attention in helping the other three with their issues so he could ignore his own in hopes that they would see him and worthy of their time and not leave him. It wasn’t healthy and he knew that, but he didn’t know how to be anything different. 

Reggie was softer, kinder, but not any weaker. He still had his fragile, bleeding heart that he was so quick to try and give to others, showing the world all of himself in full brightness instead of cutting himself into pieces to hide away certain parts. He found his value in the words of his friends, despite easily being the most amazing person the other three had ever met. And all three of them knew that Reggie was far stronger than he appeared, that he had learned to be strong so young. But he shouldn’t have needed to be strong as a child, he needed to be loved and taken care of and the world withheld that from him. How Reggie still managed to be so kind and gentle when the world was so cruel, Bobby couldn’t understand, but damn was he proud. 

There was an unspoken rule between Alex, Luke, and Bobby to do everything within their power to keep Reggie from being hurt. And here Bobby was, being the main source of his pain. 

Bobby was pulled from his thoughts when Alex squeezed his hand, smiling at him from over his shoulder before tugging him closer to the couch. He shuffled out from behind Alex to stand at his side. “Reggie, I am so-.” He was cut off when the air was knocked out of him as Reggie threw himself at Bobby. He let go of Alex’s hand to wrap both arms around the bassist, holding him tightly to his chest. 

“I was worried you were upset about last night.” Reggie sniffled into Bobby’s shoulder. “L-Luke and Lexie promised that wasn’t it b-but-.”

“Reggie,” Bobby stepped back just enough to lift Reggie’s head and he smiled at him. “I don’t regret anything, okay? I swear. I just… got a little too far in my head to think right.” He chuckled softly. “But I’m okay now. And I promised Alex I’d talk to you three. You up for that right now?”

Reggie nodded quickly, that bright smile back on his face. He kissed Bobby’s cheek before pulling away to sit back on the couch, tucked right in between Alex and Luke. 

Bobby took a deep breath, trying to keep himself from panicking again. He knew what needed to be said, he just had to get the words out. And bless his boys waiting so patiently for him. He set his eyes on Luke. Might as well start with the one who started this whole thing. 

“Luke, you threw me for a complete loop when you kissed me. And these two are far from helpful keeping quiet the way that they did, but that’s not the point.” Bobby could already feel his cheeks heat up but he kept talking. “When I told you to kiss me, it was everything I wanted. I couldn’t stop- I didn’t want to stop. And you just smiled that Luke Patterson smile and did it. But then we didn’t talk about it and that threw me for another loop.” Luke shifted, looking a bit sheepish but still grinning the same way he did that night. God, he was so insufferable. Bobby wanted to kiss that look off of his face. 

“And I have been losing my mind since then because I couldn’t figure out where we stood. I mean, just a couple of hours afterward, I had Reggie snuggled up in my lap while you were playing that new riff for Alex. I couldn’t figure out if something different had happened, or if this was going to be a new part of Things That Happen Between Band Members.” Luke started to open his mouth but Alex stretched his arm over Reggie’s shoulder to knock him upside the head. “Hush and let him finish.” Bobby smiled at Alex before continuing. “You are incredible, Luke. You exist on a level that I just can’t comprehend but it is so beautiful watching you take on the world like it’s your stage. You are made to shine and you do, every single day. You bring people together, you brought us together, and I couldn’t be happier with how that turned out.” He paused for a second, catching his breath before looking at Reggie, who seemed to perk up seeing that it was his turn. 

“Fuck, Reggie, you’re just perfect.” The swell of pride filled his chest at how quickly Reggie’s face lit up like a Christmas tree. “You’re everything I’m not and I love that. You feel everything so strongly and you’re not afraid of it. Last night just continued to prove that to me.” He stepped closer and took Reggie’s hands, kissing his knuckles just like Reggie typically did for him. “I could never regret anything that has to do with you, you know that right?” He smiled and squeezed Bobby’s hands. “Of course I do. I know sometimes I forget it but you three are always here to remember me.” 

He reached over to hold one of Luke’s hands as well, lacing their fingers together for a moment. Okay, one more. Bobby turned to Alex, who surprisingly was just as red as he was. 

“Alex Mercer. You have been my rock since we started middle school. You took one look at the little shit I was, in all black clothes and getting into fights with students and teachers and you still decided to sit with me at lunch and never leave.” A chorus of laughs and giggles left the four of them. 

“You were bound and determined to scare me away, weren’t you?” Alex teased. Bobby rolled his eyes, letting go of Luke and Reggie’s hands to flick Alex’s forehead. 

“Hush and let me finish.” Alex glared at Luke as he laughed at the drummer. 

Bobby took Alex’s hands, gently rubbing his fingers over the calluses on his fingers. “You decided that you were going to be my friend and that was it. You never left me alone. And suddenly there was a bright light in my life and I couldn’t let you go. You didn’t know it at the time but you had saved me from giving in to the storm that had destroyed my family and was still raging inside of me. You gave me something to live for.” Alex sniffled, trying not to let his tears fall but it was close. 

Bobby spared a glance at his other two boys and they were in a similar state. They knew bits and pieces of how Bobby’s home life once was before his mother walked out of them and his father stopped coming home, but they never heard Bobby so openly admit the pain he had been in at the time. Tears dripped down his cheeks but he couldn’t stop smiling. The howling of the storm in his chest lessened and he drew a deep breath. “You all have given me something to live for. I don’t know where I would’ve ended up if you hadn’t walked into my life and I know I can never repay you for the things you have done for me.”

“B-But I love you. All of you.” His tears fell a little faster as three sets of hands were on him, pulling him into the cuddle pile. “I love you and I never want to lose you.” He settled on Reggie’s lap, clinging tightly to that leather jacket that was going to be the death of him as he placed scattered kisses over that bassist’s face. A hand tangled in his hair and tugged him to the side and into another kiss with Luke as Alex ran his hand up and down his thigh. 

They had more to talk about to try and figure out just how four people dating was going to work but that was for later. For the time being, once they found a pause between swapping kisses, they would stand from the couch and head out to the studio. Alex would work on setting up the pullout couch while Luke grabbed up the different snacks they had stored out there, Bobby setting up the TV, and Reggie picking out a movie. The four boys would pile onto the bed in their usual order, Alex on the outer right side, Bobby tucked against his chest with Reggie on his other side and Luke on the outer left side. More gentle kisses and loving touches would be exchanged as the movie rolled on and as sleep finally fell over them, Bobby would throw one arm over Reggie to hold Luke’s hand and his other arm bent up under his head. Alex had his arm snaked around his waist to keep him close and the four pairs of legs would end up tangled together.

The lines between being best friends and something more had always been blurred, but there was now a reason for that. It was because they had been in love with each other from the beginning, they just didn’t realize it was love until years later. 

It was Alex falling head over heels for the broken but kind boy who was trying too hard to paint himself as dark as he could. It was Bobby draping himself over Luke and Reggie freshman year to keep the bullies at bay. It was Reggie tucking little notes of encouragement into Luke’s song journal along with his country songs. It was Luke’s brilliant idea to start a band, giving them all an excuse to dream about growing old together. Luke had been right when he said there was a connection between the four of them. Love had always existed between the four boys, long before it became romantic. And all it took was Luke taking the first step over that blurred line and kissing Bobby.


End file.
